Pete got a call from the hospital this morning regarding the x-ray they took when he was in the ER there yesterday. The radiologist determined that he has pneumonia. He told them to call his chemo doctor before they prescribed anything. They did, and now we'll be picking up an antibiotic that was called into the pharmacy for him.
Very happy we did go to the ER.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Anotehr ER Visit Results in Reschedule of CT Scan - October 29, 2009
Sometimes things work out for the best.
We were getting ready to leave to drive up to the MSK medical center in Basking Ridge for Pete’s scheduled CT scan when he told me that he didn't feel well. I took his temp and it was 102. That precipitated a call to his chemo doctor at MSKCC in NYC and he was directed to go immediately to the local emergency room. They cancelled his scan appointment.
The drive to the hospital is just a few minutes so we got there a little after 10 AM. Because of the chemo and his weakened immune system, we were quickly ushered into an isolation unit. They did all the routine blood drawing and urine collection and contacted his chemo doctor to keep her apprised of the situation. It was about 1 PM when they took him for the chest x-ray.
We were waiting for the results when an aide brings a young man, probably mid-twenties, into the room and instructs him to undress down to the waist and get into the bed right next to my son's. She wheels a curtain/divider between the 2 beds (there was barely enough room for it to fit) and leaves. The man is coughing and wheezing and my son and I looked at each other, both of us thinking the same thing without having to say it.
A minute later the man's wife and toddler come in and she asks him how he's doing. "They said I've probably got a bad case of the flu" is his response.
With that I get up and go out to find a nurse, doctor or someone, anyone. My son did have the regular flu shot on the recommendation of his chemo doctor, but not the H1N1 shot. He's supposed to get one as soon as they become available. Understand that we have no idea what "flu" this man may or may not have, but whatever he's got, if he is at all contagious with ANYTHING, I want him as far from Pete as possible.
I find a floor supervisor and briefly but calmly explain the situation. She literally ran to find the doctor and within minutes a nurse came in and removed the man, then came back and apologized to us. Then the floor supervisor came in to check to see that he had been removed and apologized. Then the doctor came in and apologized. I noticed that they had moved the young man and his family to another isolation room.
We finally got the all clear for discharge around 3:30 PM. The ER doctor had checked all the test results with the chemo doctor and said that all came back consistent with the results that they have on record at MSKCC.
Once home, Pete called about rescheduling the CT scan. They told him to come in 4 PM on Monday. He was scheduled to resume the next round of chemo on Tuesday and that will be when the chemo doctor gives us the results of the scan.
Last time he had the scan it was also on a Thursday and we went for the chemo on Tuesday. I didn't know it until we were sitting in Dr K's examination room, waiting for her to come in and give us the results, but it was then that Pete told me that he saw the scan as they did it and it looked to him like the spots were larger. I could tell by his voice and his face that he thought the doctor was going to deliver bad news and he was preparing me. Actually, the news that she gave was that they were unable to determine because, yes, some spots had increased, but some had also decreased, and this is often the case following the first round of chemo treatments.
My point is that if he had the scan done today, and if he saw it and thought, as he did last time, that the spots increased, he would have had to spend another 4-5 days thinking the worst. At least, if he does see the scan when he has it done on Monday afternoon and then gets the report from the doctor less than 24 hours later, he will have less time to worry that he may have seen something bad.
The best case scenario, though, is that he does see the scan on Monday and the lesions have diminished in size and/or quantity. I'm keeping my hopes up that this is how it goes.
We were getting ready to leave to drive up to the MSK medical center in Basking Ridge for Pete’s scheduled CT scan when he told me that he didn't feel well. I took his temp and it was 102. That precipitated a call to his chemo doctor at MSKCC in NYC and he was directed to go immediately to the local emergency room. They cancelled his scan appointment.
The drive to the hospital is just a few minutes so we got there a little after 10 AM. Because of the chemo and his weakened immune system, we were quickly ushered into an isolation unit. They did all the routine blood drawing and urine collection and contacted his chemo doctor to keep her apprised of the situation. It was about 1 PM when they took him for the chest x-ray.
We were waiting for the results when an aide brings a young man, probably mid-twenties, into the room and instructs him to undress down to the waist and get into the bed right next to my son's. She wheels a curtain/divider between the 2 beds (there was barely enough room for it to fit) and leaves. The man is coughing and wheezing and my son and I looked at each other, both of us thinking the same thing without having to say it.
A minute later the man's wife and toddler come in and she asks him how he's doing. "They said I've probably got a bad case of the flu" is his response.
With that I get up and go out to find a nurse, doctor or someone, anyone. My son did have the regular flu shot on the recommendation of his chemo doctor, but not the H1N1 shot. He's supposed to get one as soon as they become available. Understand that we have no idea what "flu" this man may or may not have, but whatever he's got, if he is at all contagious with ANYTHING, I want him as far from Pete as possible.
I find a floor supervisor and briefly but calmly explain the situation. She literally ran to find the doctor and within minutes a nurse came in and removed the man, then came back and apologized to us. Then the floor supervisor came in to check to see that he had been removed and apologized. Then the doctor came in and apologized. I noticed that they had moved the young man and his family to another isolation room.
We finally got the all clear for discharge around 3:30 PM. The ER doctor had checked all the test results with the chemo doctor and said that all came back consistent with the results that they have on record at MSKCC.
Once home, Pete called about rescheduling the CT scan. They told him to come in 4 PM on Monday. He was scheduled to resume the next round of chemo on Tuesday and that will be when the chemo doctor gives us the results of the scan.
Last time he had the scan it was also on a Thursday and we went for the chemo on Tuesday. I didn't know it until we were sitting in Dr K's examination room, waiting for her to come in and give us the results, but it was then that Pete told me that he saw the scan as they did it and it looked to him like the spots were larger. I could tell by his voice and his face that he thought the doctor was going to deliver bad news and he was preparing me. Actually, the news that she gave was that they were unable to determine because, yes, some spots had increased, but some had also decreased, and this is often the case following the first round of chemo treatments.
My point is that if he had the scan done today, and if he saw it and thought, as he did last time, that the spots increased, he would have had to spend another 4-5 days thinking the worst. At least, if he does see the scan when he has it done on Monday afternoon and then gets the report from the doctor less than 24 hours later, he will have less time to worry that he may have seen something bad.
The best case scenario, though, is that he does see the scan on Monday and the lesions have diminished in size and/or quantity. I'm keeping my hopes up that this is how it goes.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Back to Worrying About My Son - October 15, 2009
I don't know if it's the weather (cold, rainy, dark) that's affecting him, but he's hunkered down in his bed. I finally got him to eat 1/2 bowl of soup early this afternoon, but aside from that all he's had is some ginger ale.
I'm worried about him. Of course, this is the 3rd day after chemo, and that is when he usually has been feeling some unpleasant side effects. If that's it, then he'll hopefully start coming around in a few more days. The problem is that the chemo is cumulative, and it takes a bit longer to get back to "normal" after each treatment.
He's scheduled to continue this regimen for another 3-4 months.
I guess writing about it just helps me express my frustration instead of keeping it all cooped up inside of me.
I'm worried about him. Of course, this is the 3rd day after chemo, and that is when he usually has been feeling some unpleasant side effects. If that's it, then he'll hopefully start coming around in a few more days. The problem is that the chemo is cumulative, and it takes a bit longer to get back to "normal" after each treatment.
He's scheduled to continue this regimen for another 3-4 months.
I guess writing about it just helps me express my frustration instead of keeping it all cooped up inside of me.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Another Trip Put Aside - October 09, 2009
The doctor called Pete Wednesday morning and told him that he needed to come in for another round of blood work. He still wasn't feeling at all well. They called in some scripts and OTC meds for him to take so I decided to just put off the tentatively planned overnight camping trip for another week and hope for the best.
Well, the good news is that we just got back from MSKCC and his hemoglobin numbers are up, there's no sign of infection, definitely no bleeding. (insert BIG SIGH of relief!) They still have no reason for the shortness of breath or the burning in his legs other than some unusual side-effect from the chemo.
They're happy with his status, so his scheduled chemo treatment next Tuesday "is a GO!"
Well, the good news is that we just got back from MSKCC and his hemoglobin numbers are up, there's no sign of infection, definitely no bleeding. (insert BIG SIGH of relief!) They still have no reason for the shortness of breath or the burning in his legs other than some unusual side-effect from the chemo.
They're happy with his status, so his scheduled chemo treatment next Tuesday "is a GO!"
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Trip to ER at MSKCC - October 04, 2009
Saturday morning my son was still not doing well. His blood pressure was still hovering in the low range and his heart rate was still high, getting close to 100. He felt warm to me so we checked his temp and it was 101.
He called the doctor and was told to get to MSKCC's Emergency care unit ASAP. It took him a while to just get from his bed to the car. Every move was such an effort. He was as white as a ghost and was having trouble catching his breath. It's almost 2 hr drive to the hospital when there's no traffic. It just happened that today there was a Korean festival/parade and traffic was being re-routed, roads were blocked so it took a bit longer, but we finally made it.
The nurse took his vitals shortly after we arrived. They ordered chest x-rays and blood work and started IV fluids. The doctor came in and examined him and was concerned that there may be a blood clot. She ordered a contrast CT scan and an EKG and said that he may need a blood transfusion, but they wouldn't know for certain until they got results from all the tests.
I asked the doctor about how long before we'd know anything and she said at least an hour. With that Bruce and I went down to donate blood, which took about an hour altogether.
We had just gotten back to my son's room when the doctor came in to report that overall the test results were good. He was dehydrated and his hemoglobin count was quite low. There was no clot, no sign of infection and as soon as they took some swabs to check for flu (he had gotten the advised flu shot about 2 wks earlier, just regular flu, not H1N1) and he finished more IV fluids, he would be released.
Today, Sunday, he is feeling much better. He has actually started to get up and walk to the kitchen a couple of times this afternoon. Hopefully, things will get better, at least until his next chemo treatment.
He called the doctor and was told to get to MSKCC's Emergency care unit ASAP. It took him a while to just get from his bed to the car. Every move was such an effort. He was as white as a ghost and was having trouble catching his breath. It's almost 2 hr drive to the hospital when there's no traffic. It just happened that today there was a Korean festival/parade and traffic was being re-routed, roads were blocked so it took a bit longer, but we finally made it.
The nurse took his vitals shortly after we arrived. They ordered chest x-rays and blood work and started IV fluids. The doctor came in and examined him and was concerned that there may be a blood clot. She ordered a contrast CT scan and an EKG and said that he may need a blood transfusion, but they wouldn't know for certain until they got results from all the tests.
I asked the doctor about how long before we'd know anything and she said at least an hour. With that Bruce and I went down to donate blood, which took about an hour altogether.
We had just gotten back to my son's room when the doctor came in to report that overall the test results were good. He was dehydrated and his hemoglobin count was quite low. There was no clot, no sign of infection and as soon as they took some swabs to check for flu (he had gotten the advised flu shot about 2 wks earlier, just regular flu, not H1N1) and he finished more IV fluids, he would be released.
Today, Sunday, he is feeling much better. He has actually started to get up and walk to the kitchen a couple of times this afternoon. Hopefully, things will get better, at least until his next chemo treatment.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate - October 02, 2009
The doctor was not able to determine what the rash was, but suggested to just keep it dry, monitor it and if it did not improve, see a dermatologist.
Yesterday my son was very quiet and pensive. Finally in the evening he asked me to take his pulse because he said his heart felt like it was racing and was going to beat out of his chest. I'm not a nurse and am not very good at this kind of thing, but I found his pulse and counted while he used a stop watch. It came out around 90. I called my friend and asked if we could borrow her blood pressure/heart rate cuff and went right over to get it.
The readings we got were BP 114/47 and HR 87. This morning it was 117/57 and HR had dropped to 80. He put in a call to the doctor who told him to just monitor it.
As the day goes on, it doesn't seem to be getting any worse or better. Right now he says he's got a terrible headache and just wants to lie quietly.
I really feel so helpless.
Yesterday my son was very quiet and pensive. Finally in the evening he asked me to take his pulse because he said his heart felt like it was racing and was going to beat out of his chest. I'm not a nurse and am not very good at this kind of thing, but I found his pulse and counted while he used a stop watch. It came out around 90. I called my friend and asked if we could borrow her blood pressure/heart rate cuff and went right over to get it.
The readings we got were BP 114/47 and HR 87. This morning it was 117/57 and HR had dropped to 80. He put in a call to the doctor who told him to just monitor it.
As the day goes on, it doesn't seem to be getting any worse or better. Right now he says he's got a terrible headache and just wants to lie quietly.
I really feel so helpless.
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